democracy vs. autocracy theme
Democracy is a system of government in which state power is vested in the people or the general population of a state. Autocracy, by contrast, is a system of government in which absolute power is held by the ruler, known as an autocrat. In practice, systems of government aren't objectively either, but can subjectively be placed somewhere on a scale between the two extremes. Compared and contrasted in the story is two forms of government, one of which falls further towards the democratic end of the scale and one who falls further towards the autocratic end of the scale. For example, in Ancient Rome the faults and virtues of the somewhat democratic republican system was compared and contrasted with the faults and virtues of having a mostly autocratic dictator or emperor in charge.
15 total · 1 choice · 6 major · 8 minor
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| play: Julius Caesar (1599) | choice | Brutus and others lamented the loss of the Roman Republic when Caesar made himself emperor for life. |
| ic1976e01a | major | The sudden death of Marcellus sparked demands for a return to the Republic. |
| ic1976e09 | major | Cassius and his fellow conspirators plotted to assassinate Caligula and restore the Republic. |
| ic1976e10 | major | The senators wanted to bring back the Republic. The Praetorian Guard and Herod convinced Claudius that he should take up the imperial crown since the alternative would mean the death of his family as well as civil war. |
| ic1976e12 | major | Claudius decided that Rome must come to hate its ruling family, overthrow it, and restore the Republic. He therefore arranged it so that his heir would be as loathsome and corrupt as could be. |
| movie: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) | major | The Republic was reformed into an empire. |
| movie: Strange Holiday (1945) | major | The fascists argued that democracy bred dysfunction and confusion and the order that came with fascism was preferable. |
| ic1976e01b | minor | Drusus wished that Rome would be a republic again after the death of Augustus, but Livia asserted that Rome would never again be such. |
| ic1976e03 | minor | Claudius wrote in glowing terms of the Republic in his history book. Augustus told Postumous that they were not kings and had no divine powers. |
| ic1976e04 | minor | Augustus confided in Claudius that he himself was a Republican at heart. |